About us:
The Cellular Imaging Facility (CIF) was created in 2003 to assist researchers with imaging needs ranging from wide-field fluorescence and transmission optical microscopy, confocal microscopy, two-photon microscopy, light sheet microscopy, time-lapse and ion imaging, in vivo bioluminescence and fluorescence measurement in anesthetized animal, laser capture microscopy to digital image processing and analysis.
At the end of 2005, the CIF has extended its activities on the Dorigny campus and since 2009 on the Epalinges campus.
Today, the CIF is in charge of about 27 imaging set-ups and 11 image processing workstations. This equipment is used during about 20’000 hours yearly in total by about 300 different users.
The CIF is organized around three complementary activities:
- Service activities : Investigators of the Faculty of Biology and Medicine and associated institutions are offered access to a panel of state-of-the-art imaging equipment and techniques.
- Training : The CIF shares and diffuses the practical and theoretical know-how on these approaches through teaching and training. A series of lectures on cellular imaging are being given yearly. Practical training on the instruments are provided in the form of short “hands-on” courses, even individual, throughout the year, and workshops on various aspects of imaging organized for pre- and post-graduate students.
- Research : Technological Development . In parallel to service activities, a consortium of investigators affiliated with the CIF will develop and implement most advanced optical and imaging technologies. This unit will have an open and dynamic interface with the service, so that emerging technological developments will be implemented and rendered accessible to more users of the CIF.
The CIF existence is the result of a joint financial and structural effort of the Faculty for Biology and Medicine of the University of Lausanne , the University Hospital (Hospices/CHUV). The hosting institutes have also brought a major contribution by offering room, infrastructure, logistics, administrative, and technical support.
On the Bugnon campus, the facility occupies five rooms of the Medical School building (Bugnon 9). On the Dorigny campus, the CIF is using one room of the Biophore building and eight rooms in the Génopode building.
The CIF is headed by Dr. Jean-Yves Chatton, PD MER, and activities are supervised by Yannick Krempp , Arnaud Paradis , Florence Morgenthaler, and Luigi Bozzo, technical managers of the Bugnon, Dorigny, Epalinges and Agora CIF branches, respectively. Besides managing the core facility, these personnel serve as technical consultants, train new users and work on new imaging technologies.